Sketch Of A Marshall Fredericks Koi Sculpture

 

5x8 pencil sketch from sketchbook

I had missed the past couple of weeks of the #SundayFishSketch, so it is good to be back in the swing with this week. This week's theme are fish that are a model from a museum or exhibit. My sketch is from a photo I took of a Marshall Fredericks koi sculpture that I was assisting in the conservation/maintenance of at the Cranbrook Academy of Art a few years ago. 

Koi Festival Logo

Well, if there was going to be a Koi Festival at the Belle Isle Aquarium this year, this would have been the logo used for letterheads, buttons, etc. It's basically the same design from last year, but I tweaked it a little by turning the koi to better accommodate the 'aquarium' wording. Plus, I think the fish look a bit better, design-wise. There will be a koi festival to be held in Japan during the month of May, so there's that going on.

Belle Isle Koi Festival

Tomorrow, if you find yourself on Belle Isle, stop on by the Conservatory and Aquarium for the Annual Koi Festival.  The festival has taken place of the annual Koi Transfer that brought the koi fish out from their basement winter dwelling and back out in the pond for the summer. Since the koi now reside outdoors year-round a celebration of the koi and Japanese culture has taken its place. 

The above design by yours truly is being used for buttons to be given out, probably for a small donation. 

In some small secret circles, this event might be known as the Corey Festival. You can ask around, but it might be denied...   

Koi Transfer Spring 2016

Tomorrow, May 7 starting at 10am will be the biannual koi transfer at the Belle Isle Aquarium on Belle Isle in the Detroit River. The process involves taking the koi from the basement of the aquarium where they spend their winters and bring them out to the pond in between the aquarium and conservatory where they will spend their summer dodging heron bites. Bring a bucket and you can help bring a koi fish to the pond. there will be plenty of volunteers and staff on hand to help you with where you need to be.

Sadly, I won't be involved again this year because of Free Comic Book Day, but will be there in spirit. My undersea spirit animal is probably more akin to an octopus than a koi, but still......

Belle Isle Aquarium Koi Transfer 2015

Tomorrow, starting at 10am is the spring koi transfer on Belle Isle to bring all the koi fish out of the basement winter holding tanks outside to the pond. Bring the kids and the grandparents and a bucket, so you can help bring a koi outside. There will be hot dogs, chips and pop afterwards.

Unfortunately, I won't be in on the fun as I will be at Comic and More for Free Comic Book Day, but this is a fun time and you should go!

You can also get a colored version of the above cartoon as a button tomorrow at the aquarium.

Fall Koi Wrangling

Help them there seahorses wrangle those koi and put them in their winter digs in the basement of the Belle Isle Aquarium. It's that time of year again, so grab the kids, a net and a bucket and head on down to Belle Isle to help out! Festivities start at 10am and hot dogs, chips and pop will be served after the job is done.

I'm going to miss this one, as I will be at the Gibraltar Trade Center for Fantasticon. Catch a fish or two for me! And watch out for the fish poop.

Spring Koi Transfer 2014

Tomorrow morning will be the spring koi transfer at the Belle Isle Aquarium. Kids young and old are welcome to come down and help the koi from their basement pad to the outside pond. If you have plastic bins and/or buckets, please bring them with you. The event starts at 10am and goes until all the fishes are in the pond. The aquarium will also be open for visitors from 10-3.

Click on the image to engorge.

Belle Isle Aquarium Fall Koi Transfer 2013

The semi-annual koi transfer at the Belle Isle Aquarium will be held tomorrow beginning at 10am and going until it's done. So, if you'd like to help bring all those fishes back into their winter digs, come on down to Belle Isle and lend a fin or two.

Koi Wrangling 2013

The semi-annual koi transfer at the Belle Isle Aquarium will be held this Saturday (the 27th) starting at 10am. The koi will be taken from their basement digs to their summer pond. So, round up the kids, the grandparents, one and all, but leave the fish hooks at home. We have nets.

Belle Isle Aquarium Koi Transfer 2010

Tomorrow morning at 9:00am the Belle Isle Aquarium will be transferring the koi from the basement to the outside pond. So, if you happen to be in the area of Belle Isle, come on down and lend a hand. It's a fun time for both the little kids and the big kids, such as myself.

Belle Isle Aquarium Koi Pond Cleanup 2010

This Saturday, April 24th, the Belle Isle Aquarium will be having their annual koi pond clean-up at 10:00am. Of course, I will probably be there early since my koi wrangling skills have come under fire since we missed about 75 of the slippery little critters last fall and they need to come out so that we can clean their summer home. So, that should be some messy fun.

Winter Migration

The Friends of Belle Isle Aquarium will be helping our little koi friends move from the outside pond between the conservatory and the aquarium to their winter habitation in the basement of said aquarium. So, if you'd like to help these critters with their winter migration to warmer climes, come on down to Belle Isle tomorrow at 10:00am and lend a fin or two. There's always plenty of fish poop, it's fun!

Belle Isle Aquarium Koi Transfer

This last Saturday, the wife and I went down to the Belle Isle Aquarium for some more volunteer work with the good peeps of FOBIA. This event was the koi transfer from the basement pools to the outside pond, which was cleaned from most traces of fish poop two weeks ago. I was appointed the guy to be in the water to help the little (and in some cases, not so little) fishies to their summer playground. So, with waders on, young Cameron and myself made a pretty good team (see pic below) in the festive fish launch. No fish sticks were served at this outing.

And of course, more cartoons. This first one is another one from the pond clean-up. 

The goofball in question was me, in case you were wondering. And here is one inspired by the fish transfer.
A rare sighting of the arteest with helper Cameron.
There are many more pictures on the Friends Of Belle Isle Aquarium website, so you can check them out here. I can't express enough how good it feels to help out with this kind of thing and am very glad to be a part of it all. I can see the day now when the doors will re-open.